Shazam Family Oneshots
by Randomfandoms64
Summary: Just a bunch of one-shots surrounding Billy and his new family. Requests are being taken! I don't write smut, slash or anything like that but otherwise feel free to comment or PM me your requests.
1. Movie Night

Billy had been in many different foster homes before. He had known so many different people, kids who had never felt truly happy before, teens who didn't know what being loved felt like, it effected everyone in different ways. The only thing was, he didn't remember anyone who was effected positively by being put in foster care, almost everyone missed their family no matter what that family did to them or what they had went through. Some of the foster homes he had been put in were horrible, he remembered a few where he'd even gotten broken bones from. This place was different though. Victor and Rosa seemed like they genuinely cared about their kids, like they actually wanted to hear about when Darla told them what she had done in school that day or what new levels Eugene unlocked in his games. Billy knew it could be possible that they did care, but he didn't want to believe it because he knew if he got attached it wouldn't be good for anyone in the end. Tonight though, he had a hard time finding reasons to not grow fond of this family.

Earlier when Freddy had told him about tonight being movie night he thought it would be Freddy and probably Darla watching a movie while the rest of the family went about their business. He thought it could mean that it was just Freddy's way of asking if he wanted to watch a movie with him. However, whatever he had thought was not this. He didn't think everyone would be in the living room together watching the movie intently, or be cuddled up next to one another like a real family would. Although while he looked around the room, he felt grateful to be lucky enough to have found these wonderful people. As much as he wanted to believe he was better off alone he honestly didn't know what he'd do without them now. His tired eyes surveyed each person in the room keenly.

He watched as Eugene leaned forward next to him while his fingers tapped against his knees rapidly, his eyes wide with eagerness as the movie got to it's climax. Darla was resting against Rosa on the other couch while the woman ran her fingers through her hair, her foot bounced softly on the carpeted floor while her other leg was stretched out on the couch. Pedro was a little different, Pedro sat on the other side of Rosa, leaned back, head tilted and arms crossed while he watched the movie. He didn't seem as interested as the others but was willing to sit through it until it was over. Victor sat next to Billy also leaning into the couch as if he had seen the movie before but wasn't gonna move until it was over. He had his palm set on top of Freddy's head, while Freddy dozed off against his other side. Mary had already left for college but Billy could imagine she'd probably be sitting right next to Darla with a content smile on her face.

The more Billy thought about it the more he knew that his mom could have never given him this. He had wanted them to be a family again for so long but now, now he couldn't imagine himself in another place. He belonged with the Vasquez's and nothing could change his mind on that. He slowly leaned against Victor as his mind started to drift and his eyes began to close, barely registering that Victor's arm was now gently placed around his shoulders. Yeah, this is where he wanted to stay.


	2. Weight of Guilt

Billy had noticed. He had noticed the way Freddy tried to avoid them, how he had become more independent since the battle, how he rarely ever read his comics anymore. He noticed, and he's sure the others did too. It was pretty apparent that Freddy had been trying to distance himself from them. At first Billy left it alone, brushing it off as him coping after the battle but it had been going on for a few weeks now and it obviously wasn't getting any better.

Today was no different than they had been the last few weeks. Freddy had been awake and sitting on his bed on his phone when Billy awoke. He had said a few words to Billy but it was nothing compared to his usual morning blabber. At lunch Billy sat next to Freddy and made an awkward attempt at a conversation but to no avail. The only response he got was a small smile when he had wondered out loud if The Flash had ever tripped over his own feet. The rest of the day was boring to him, In Math it was just review over what they had been learning for the past week. Nothing that interesting.

Dinnertime passed rather quickly that night with Billy glancing over at Freddy every so often. There was something going on, something besides that battle that had been eating at him and Billy was determined to find out exactly what it was, he just needed to find the right time otherwise he would just be making it worse. He fell asleep wondering what could have made his brother like this.

When he awoke the first thing he registered was that it wasn't light out, probably early in the morning. He was about to turn back over and go to sleep when he heard a quiet sob from underneath his bunk. He instantly knew what and who it was. The sound came once again but more muffled this time.

"Freddy?" He called out, voice barely above a whisper. For a full minute no response came. Then there was a faint "yeah?" Instead of saying anything back, Billy shuffled over to the ladder and climbed down slowly and quietly until his feet were planted on the ground. In the darkness he saw Freddy sitting against the wall and the backboard to their bunk bed. He turned the lamp on and was shocked at what he saw in the dim light. Freddy's face had tears trailing down it, his arms were wrapped around his knees pulling them close.

"Hey what's wrong?" Billy asked taking a step towards the bed. Better now than neverhe thought. Freddy only shifted his gaze to the bed sheets.

"It's nothing. Sorry for waking you up."

"What? No, I don't care about that. I want to know what's been bothering you." Freddy knew he wasn't gonna out of it anytime soon, if he knew one thing about Billy it was that he was really stubborn. Still, he took his chances.

"Uh my leg really hurts right now." Your an idiot Freeman.

"Oh so that's why you've been avoiding us for the past like two weeks?" Billy asked, clearly not buying it. Freddy looked up at him and he sighed.

"Freddy whatever's going on-"

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry okay?!" Freddy answered, his voice getting louder.

"Shh! Why? What are you sorry for?" Billy asked confused.

"It was all my fault." He said, continuing when Billy gave him a look of confusion. He closed his eyes and tilted his head down towards the mattress again not wanting to see the rage that would be on the other boy's face when he found out.

"The reason Doctor Sivana was here. I brought him here. I'm sorry. When he had me I panicked-"

"When did that happen?" Billy asked anxiously.

"...When I went looking for you at the mall. You weren't there but, he was. He had me up against the wall and he told me to take him to you and I know I shouldn't have but I was so scared-"

"Hey," Billy said getting the boy's attention as he noticed the tears starting to run down his face again. He had already known that Freddy had been the one to show the villain where they lived, Mary had told him the night of the battle after he had asked how Sivana ended up at their house. He had to admit, he had felt a bit betrayed at the thought of Freddy just leading a criminal to their family like that but after giving it some thought he knew that Freddy wouldn't have done it on his own. This had only confirmed his theory that Sivana had really given him no choice in the matter, It wasn't like he could just run.

"No one is mad at you for that. I mean every single one of us would've probably done the same in that situation. You didn't have a choice."

"But you guys could've gotten hurt because of me!"

"And you were in that situation in the first place because of me." Billy told him calmly. Freddy looked at him and frowned.

"...I hate your stupid logic." He said, causing Billy to smile.

"Listen, no one is mad at you, okay?" He said chuckling a bit. Freddy nodded and wrapped his arms around Billy who slowly returned the hug.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, next time though it would be way easier if you just tell us. You stopped reading your comics and I thought you were like dying or something." He joked as Freddy suddenly pushed him. He couldn't find anything to grab as he tumbled off the bed. He hit the ground with a loud thud and both of them went silent for a whole five seconds before bursting out with laughter.

"Boys! Go to sleep!" Victor called from the other room. Which made them laugh even more.


	3. Uncovered

Flinch

/flin(t)SH/

{To make a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to fear, pain, or surprise.}

Billy didn't know why he still did it. He wasn't scared of them, they had never given him any reason to be afraid. Other people had, but Rosa and Victor had only wanted to give him a high five. Sadly, some memories don't just go away and when he saw Victor raise his hand he flinched. In that moment all he saw was flashbacks of when Patrick used to get angry with him for no reason and beat him until he was satisfied that Billy would start behaving better. Patrick and Lindsay weren't good people. He remembered them telling him numerous times that he'd die a failure and no one wanted kids like him. He wished they could see him now just to show them how wrong they were, he had a new family, a family who loved him more than his biological family ever did. He was a superhero too! He had saved tons of people so far and he had gotten to meet Superman! He lie on his bed trying to forget what had happened downstairs. He had seen the shocked faces on Rosa and Victor, he didn't need to be told that he would have to explain things to them later, It was pretty obvious with the way they had called after him after he went upstairs. Sympathy. Oh how he hated that word, it only meant they felt bad for him. They didn't know what it was like to be afraid to come to home or to have to patch yourself up after being beaten so bad every single movement hurt. He had been so relieved to be on the streets again after running away from all the pain and torture.

Not wanting to think about that any longer he focused on the fact that Victor and Rosa were probably super confused right now. He sighed, getting up and climbing down the ladder. Before he had a chance to fully climb down, he heard a soft knock at the door. He hesitated for a second before calling, "Uh come in?". The doorknob was twisted and in stepped Victor and Rosa.

"Hey" Rosa greeted.

"Hey"

"Can we talk? Alone?" Victor asked raising his voice a bit turning his head towards the door, knowing their children were right on the other side. Billy gave an amused smile when he heard shuffling on the other side.

"Sure..." He replied awkwardly taking a seat on Freddy's bed, already knowing what this was about. Rosa sat next to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened back there?" Victor probed.

"I don't know." Liar. They both gave him looks saying 'Really?' He sighed once more.

"I just got scared for a second, it was stupid. I was thinking of Patrick." They glanced at each other before asking,

"Who's Patrick?" He looked up at them wide-eyed for a second.

"Uh he um was one of my old foster parents..." He replied shuddering at the thought. Victor winced.

"He hurt you?" Billy dreaded that question, it made him feel so weak and helpless. He nodded anyway. Rosa's heart ached for the boy next to her, he shouldn't have to go through that. No one should. She wanted to just envelop him in a warm hug and reassure him he was safe now. He looked at them, then quickly added.

"I didn't stay for very long though, and he's in prison now anyway."

"He better stay there if he knows what's good for him." Rosa remarked, making Billy's eyebrows raise dramatically and look at her in astonishment. Victor silently agreed with her as he bent down onto one knee and gave Billy a hug. Rosa did the same and wrapped her arms around them tightly, as she did so she pressed her lips against Billy's forehead. He leaned into their touch, feeling content as they continued to hug him. He didn't want them to let go but eventually they did and Victor stood up again. He walked over to the door and motioned for Billy and Rosa to follow.

"Well I guess we better get back downstairs and check on everyone." He said loudly. They again heard much shuffling come from behind the door. Victor waited a minute before throwing the door open. What they found put a smile on all three of their faces. Eugene was sprinting down the last three steps of the staircase, Darla was half way to her room, while Freddy was just stood there like a deer caught in headlights. He ran his hand through his hair while nervously leaning against his crutch.

"I was just, going to the bathroom." He stated before looking up at Victor and Rosa and giving them the most innocent smile he could muster. Rosa rolled her eyes and giggled at the sight as she walked towards the stairs, while Victor only ruffled the boy's hair before following her. Billy took another step towards Freddy and put one of his thumbs up.

"You'll be the next Batman in no time."

"Oh shut up."

Later that night before him and Freddy had gone to bed Darla burst into the room causing both boys to jump. She ran right up to Billy and put her small arms around him to which he returned the hug. Although, within two minutes Pedro, Eugene, and Mary were also in the room with their arms around him giving him a hug. Freddy did the same, laughing as he did so. When the long, awkward (in Billy's opinion) hug was over Mary leaned down and whispered "Your safe here." and he believed her. They would never hurt him, they were his family.


	4. Fight or Flight

All the Vasquez kids besides Billy sat on the edge of the couch leaning towards the television. Billy had gone out as Captain Sparklefingers on patrol and now a fight between him and another super villain was live. Victor and Rosa were working late that night which meant Mary was in charge of them until they got back, although Mary really had no control over him going out as his other persona. As the fight went on they got more and more anxious, Billy wasn't winning not even close. He had only managed to get a few hits in so far and the fight had been going on for a while already. The new villain seemed to only get stronger as time went on, while Billy was getting tired fast. If you were standing outside of the Vasquez house you could probably hear them screaming at the screen every few minutes. Billy was losing, there was no doubt about it, even with his powers he was getting slower and slower by the minute. The next clip proved that to be true. The camera on screen panned over to where he had just been thrown into a building. The smoke from the debris cleared and they waited...and waited some more.

"Uh guys, why isn't he getting up?" Freddy asked, his eyes darting around to the others as he stood up. He looked at the screen once more to see nothing had changed, he instantly went into panic mode.

"Why isn't he getting up!? He's not getting up! WHY ISN'T GETTING BACK UP!?" He shouted as his breathing got more and more uneven. Mary instantly was up too, taking a closer look at the screen.

"Um guys, we need to go. Now!" She yelled as the criminal started towards where Billy had landed a few moments before then. None of them protested as each of them rushed out the door all screaming Shazam as they passed through. Darla waited for Freddy before shutting the door and following the others.

"I hope Billy is okay." She stated sadly.

They arrived quickly due to their enhanced speed. What they saw made them all clench their fists with rage, save for Darla who looked like she could start crying at any second. Billy's opponent had him held high in the air and looked ready to finish him off any second, what's worse was Billy looked as though he was barely conscious and was struggling to get away from the older man. Mary was about to take charge when Eugene's voice stopped her.

"Hey, you!" He called getting the anti-hero's attention.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you! Leave him alone!" The man in the black suit tossed Billy to the side as he flew towards where the rest of the Shazam team were.

"Darla, Pedro get Billy and take him home, the rest of us will deal with this." Mary asserted. The two nodded and didn't hesitate to follow orders. Darla was first to Billy who was now lying on a rooftop to Sivana Industries.

"Billy!" She shrieked kneeling down next to him. He tried to sit up but it wasn't working out too well and he ended up landing on his back again.

"D-Darla?"

"Pedro's here too."

"Hey Bill, your gonna have to say It so we can take you home." Pedro said stepping forward. The latter nodded, but then lifted his head and looked around with fear in his eyes.

"Where is he?" He asked, voice cracking.

"The others are holding him off for now." Billy just nodded and leaned back.

"Shazam" He whispered. Lightning struck from the sky and left a smaller more delicate version of the superhero. Pedro scooped up the boy in his arms with ease. Billy didn't look as bad as his other form did but he definitely needed to get home. Darla stayed at Pedro's side the entire time while he flew Billy to their house.

Meanwhile Mary, Eugene, and Freddy distracted their newest villain with ease. They flew around him letting him catch up a bit before punching him and switching off. Only when they made sure that the other three were far enough to be considered safe did they move in. Eugene flew up behind him and took a swing at the back of his head making him whirl around, but not before Freddy kicked him in the chest making him falter, dropping down a few feet. Once he was focused on those two Mary took her chance and shot as much electricity as she could summon at him making a large sphere of lightning surround him. He roared in pain and dropped the rest of the way to the ground.

They flew down to him and made sure he wasn't gonna get back up anytime soon "Geez, he doesn't look too great." Eugene joked noting how the energy visibly flowed throughout the man's body.

"He shouldn't have messed with Billy." Mary stated, with her arms crossed.

"Do you guys see that?" Freddy asked frowning.

"See what?"

"That." He replied pointing to the symbol on the man's suit. It was the the exact same as the one on theirs.

"Uh that's a little weird..." Eugene quipped looking to Mary who studied the symbol for a second longer before turning away.

"Let the police deal with it for now. We need to get back to the others."

"But-"

"Now." The two boys sighed in defeat taking one last look at the man before following Mary. They saw many police officers rushing to the scene now as they flew from it. Freddy knew the police probably wouldn't be able to hold him for long it was classic stereotype which usually was accurate. The government just didn't have enough experience to be equipped for stuff like this. Still he wasn't going to argue with Mary, he knew their parents would be home soon and they really did need to get back to the others, he hadn't seen Billy since that freak had thrown him.

When they returned they found Billy on the couch sleeping with a pillow under his head. Darla wasn't in the room most likely in bed, but Pedro lay on the other couch reading a book. He had quickly put it down when they entered the room though.

"He should be okay, but was pretty out of it earlier and has a lot of bruising so I just let him rest" Pedro told them tiredly. Mary nodded, and Eugene took a good look at Billy and groaned.

"How are we supposed to keep this from Mom and Dad?" He questioned. Everyone thought for a minute.

"We could use make-up."

"We are not putting make-up on Billy. Are you kidding!? He'd zap us with his lightning hands!"

"Well I'm out of ideas." Freddy said walking over to the couch Pedro was on.

"Can I sit here? My leg is killing me." He asked. Pedro glanced at him then back at the couch before moving his legs off the couch and sitting up. Freddy sighed in relief and sat down.

"See? I knew you loved me" He joked, making Pedro rolled his eyes and smile. Mary looked back over to Billy.

"Were gonna have to get him to bed before they get here."

"Oh. Good luck with that." Freddy told her, smiling. She scoffed at him and bent down to pick up Billy. It didn't take too much effort since he was relatively light. The hard part was making sure to not smack his head on anything as she went up the stairs and to his room. She laid him on the bed gently and pulled the blankets over him before turning the light off and closing the door on her way out. The sound of the door opening echoed throughout the house.

"Were home!" Victor called.

"Shhhh!!"


	5. Peace, Quiet, and Nevermind

Thaddeus Sivana was not the type of person who liked kids. It just wasn't the type of person he was after having a childhood like his. It pained him to see all those other children having fun and acting as if the world revolved around them. He couldn't stand the thought of little kids running around, playing pretend with their friends that they probably would never see again because he didn't get that kind of childhood. His dad had always tried to turn him into a 'man' ever since he could walk. He didn't get help with homework, and he rarely ever got to hang around kids his own age. Yes, he didn't like kids and they didn't necessarily like him either. Which is why he really didn't know why he was sitting on a bench at the park. To enjoy the fresh view he supposed, the bench he sat on was facing a pond with plants surrounding it. He sighed putting his face in his hands. So far he had yet to find a way to get back to the wizard's place. He was on his lunch break at this moment and he was definitely enjoying the relaxation. Well, that was until a little girl took a seat right next to him.

"Hi, I'm Darla." She greeted, smiling.

"Um, Hello?"

"You look lonely."

"Where are your parents?" He asked, looking around towards the playground.

"Oh they're over there!" She pointed to a couple who was sitting on a bench talking to a boy.

"Shouldn't you be with them? I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate you running off."

"Why are you alone?" She asked, completely disregarding his question.

"Because I am." He stated flatly, looking back at the pond.

"Well...I'm gonna keep you company."

I don't think that's a good idea." He really needed to get away from this kid. She was disrupting the only peace he would have anytime soon. It also would seem a little weird that he was just randomly talking to some little girl. He thought about getting up and leaving, but no that would be too harsh.

"Why don't you go play with your friends?" He tried.

"Pedro is jogging, Eugene is playing games on his computer but he told mom and dad that he was doing homework,and Mary is doing important college stuff, Freddy doesn't want to move, and Billy told me he didn't want to play with me."

"I'm not sure who those people are..."

"They're my family." She said happily. He scoffed.

"Who needs family?" It was an honest question to him, but when he saw the look on her face he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"Why would you say that? Everyone needs a family, I would be sad if I didn't know my family. Even though we aren't related." He looked at her confused. 'How are they family if they aren't even related?' It made no sense to him but he wasn't about to ask because it really was none of his business. Darla had already known he was confused though.

"They're my foster family." She explained. 'Oh...'

"Do you not like your family?" She asked. It seemed innocent but there was so many ways he could answer that question. He really didn't like his Father or Sid, not after everything he had to deal with growing up, but he wasn't about to let a child know that.

"Of course I like my family." He felt foolish saying it but the girl seemed to be content with that answer...for a second.

"You don't have to lie. I know you don't want to make me sad but you don't have to like your family. Are they mean to you?"

"Sometimes..."

She paused. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, really."

After that they sat in silence for about a whole two minutes. He wanted to just walk away from her so bad but his goal wasn't to make the girl cry. He instead stood up slowly, stretching his legs as he went.

"Well I need to get back to work." He told her. Whatever goodbye he had been awaiting was not the one he got. As the word 'work' left his mouth she practically leaped off the bench and gave him a tight hug. He didn't return it but he did feel his mouth turn upwards just the slightest. She let go quickly and said goodbye before running back to the group. He watched her run back to her foster family. He had to admit he was a little jealous on how she seemed to have the perfect life. She loved her family, and from the looks of it they loved her the same. A boy leaning on his crutch got up and let her drag him to the playground, another boy shut his laptop and set it besides him as he also got up and ran after the other two. Soon there were five people on the playground with her making her run and laugh. It seemed a little unfair that life had seemed to have it out for him as a child but now that he was older and more powerful he had the ability to make his life better than what it had been. All he needed to do is find that wizard, which was his thought as he headed off towards work.


	6. Suffering

Freddy knew when he woke up that morning it wasn't going to be a great day. Considering the fact that when he woke up it was still dark out and his leg throbbed in pain. It was like having a migraine except inside of his leg instead, he tried ignoring it but as the minutes went on the pain grew more and more. He ended up having to grind his teeth together to stop himself from making a noise. He lied in his bed for several minutes keeping his eyes shut tightly from the pain. After a few more minutes passed he gave up on going back to sleep, he knew it wasn't going to happen. He pushed himself to the edge of the bed and used an arm to lift his left leg over the side, moving it on his own was too painful right now. He grabbed his crutch which was leaning next to him and quietly made his way out of his and Billy's room, leaning on his crutch heavily for support. The downstairs was quiet and dark since everyone had gone to bed already. He hobbled over to the couch where he rested for a quick second before grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. It wouldn't solve the problem but at least it would help distract him for a little while. He made sure to turn the volume down to a level where it wouldn't wake anyone and turned on Nickelodeon. He noticed that the clock on the TV said it was 4:30 AM which meant he had about two and a half hours before the others came down which gave him time to watch a few episodes.

The time seemed to go by quickly once he started watching the show, before he knew it Victor was already downstairs. They talked for a bit as Freddy continued to watch his TV show and in all honesty Freddy had started to forget about his leg. That is, until Darla came down and jumped onto his lap. He yelped as the sensation in his leg grew to where it felt as though it had been broken all over again. He wanted to scream, or yell, or cry in frustration and agony but he also didn't want Darla to know she had hurt him because what kind of brother would he be if he made her cry because he wanted to feel better? He plastered on a smile that seemed a little too wide and just a little too fake but she seemed to buy it.

They hurriedly ate breakfast having almost been late for school because Eugene just had to finish his level before he got dressed. The ride there was overall short but with his leg throbbing like it did it felt like it took forever. He tried to keep up with the conversation as to not be rude but after a while he just gave up. It was hard to keep the conversation when you couldn't concentrate on it.

His classes weren't any better, he could barely concentrate on the subjects and his leg was not appreciating the sudden movement whenever the bell rang. He didn't eat lunch, he felt as though he would've thrown it up if he tried. He thought about the last time his leg felt this bad, Rosa had given him his pain medication and he had felt better later that day but he couldn't do anything about it now. Plus, he didn't want to seem like he couldn't handle the pain.

Billy talked about a few things they would need to work out as their 'other' forms, which was a little odd hearing since Billy was usually the one listening not talking. Freddy didn't mind today though he just tried to listen and concentrate on the conversation. Lunch seemed to go a little too quickly though, turns out Billy talking had actually took his mind off the pain but once he got to his next class it was back as fierce as ever. At one point during his science test he had tears going down his face from how bad the pain was and how hard he was trying to not make a sound. A few classes later school was out and he was limping towards Mary, Darla, and Pedro. Billy and Eugene had yet to come out yet but he couldn't wait to get home. He had it all planned out, he would get home go to sleep, get up for dinner and go back to sleep.

Of course, things never go the way they are planned. He got home and had to do dishes then he was forced to watch a movie with Darla. By the time he was finished with that it was almost time for dinner. He decided to just relax on the couch for a bit as it seemed to ease his leg. After a few seconds of his leg not feeling so bad his eyelids began to feel heavy. His thoughts drifted and he didn't even realize his eyes were now closed.

He awoke to Rosa calling them all for dinner, it couldn't have been that long since he had fallen asleep. He went to move off the couch and a sharp pain shot up his leg. He unintentionally let out a small yelp and laid back down. It returned to a dull tense throbbing. He was relived no one had heard him since all the others had started coming down the stairs but at the same time he didn't want to have to move again. He watched the others go towards the dining room, not noticing Billy was standing next to him.

"You coming?" His heart practically jumped out of his chest and he jumped back making another short burst of pain go throughout his leg. He winced slightly this time not wanting Bill to know.

"Yeah, just thought I'd let you guys go first. Since your all so much slower than me and I'd be the first to dinner." He joked. Billy glanced at him uncertain but refused to leave. Freddy looked at him for a minute before sighing knowing the other boy wouldn't leave until he got up. He braced himself as he pushed up off the couch once more and let his foot touch the floor. Even the soft motion made the pain flare up and he winced and clenched his fists, trying his hardest to not make a sound. Billy was about to say something when he grabbed his crutch and stood up quickly still doing his best to ignore the stabbing right below his knee.

"Let's go, I'm starving." He quipped, avoiding Billy's eyes. Luckily during dinner he kept up with the conversation pretty well. Although when the subject of school came up he avoided it, not really remembering anything they had done. He had been pretty distracted and he knew he had also most likely failed his science test because of it.

His leg wanted him to get to bed already but the rest of his body wanted to finish eating and spend time with his family. So instead, he took a few more bites of his food and asked to be excused. He saw the look Billy gave him when he got up from the table, and he knew the boy was just watching him leave the room. He completely disregarded it though and focused on going up the stairs which he knew was going to be painful. He stared at the stairs for a few minutes, mentally preparing himself. Victor came from the dining room towards him, a glass of water in his hand.

"Hey Freddy, you okay?"

"uh yeah, yeah I'm fine." He answered staring at the glass and taking a step away from the stairs. Victor's right eyebrow raised by an inch. Freddy's gaze shifted from the glass to his face to the ground in a matter of seconds.

"You're sure?" The older man asked slowly. Freddy would have said yes and been on his way to his bedroom if the pain in his leg hadn't flared up right at the moment causing him to shut his eyes tightly and take a shaky breath in.

"Freddy?"

"Okay...maybe my leg has been hurting a little." He admitted. Victor sighed knowingly.

"How long has it been hurting?"

"Um...Since like 4 this morning."

"Freddy you have to tell us this type of stuff, we can't help if we don't know." Victor told him softly. He held the glass in front of Freddy and lay his palm out where a small pill lay. Freddy knew it would make his leg feel a whole lot better but he didn't want to take it because, well, who likes having to take medicine?

"I really don't need that." He laughed it nervously hoping Victor would let him go to bed. Obviously luck wasn't on his side today.

"I think you do though." Victor countered. Freddy rolled his eyes and sighed, taking the pill and the water. After he swallowed it he scrunched up his nose at the feeling of it and handed the glass back to Victor.

"Go lie down on the couch for a bit okay? I'll make sure no one bothers you." Freddy nodded and muttered a 'thanks' before hobbling over to the couch again. It wasn't that long before he fell asleep again although his leg didn't hurt as much this time.

When Billy got done with his food, he raced over to where Freddy lay on the couch and was fully prepared to find out why Freddy was acting so oddly but instead he only saw the boy fast asleep and snoring softly. He sighed, turning back around and going towards the kitchen. He would find out later, for now he would do the dishes for him because he deserved some rest.

Victor came out only a few minutes later and carried Freddy up to bed so the others could come into the living room without waking him. As Victor set him down on his bunk he whispered a quiet 'Goodnight' before turning the light off and shutting the door.


	7. Storms and Trauma

The wind howled loudly in the late night. The hail pounded dangerously against the windows. The thunder and lightning cracked with fiery. Tears stream down Freddy's face dropping onto the soft blanket every few seconds. He took short quick breath, hands shaking with fear. He wanted it to stop, to be able to drown out the noise, to not have to listen to the thundering sounds. He knows it's silly to be afraid of storms, and it's not so much the storms as it is the noise the storm creates but he can't help it.

Whenever he hears the sounds he remembers That night. He shouldn't even be able to remember it, but he does and it comes back to haunt him constantly. Especially on nights like these. He can still picture the way his Dad had smashed the glass against the wall, or how he had shoved him forcefully making him stumble and fall down the stairs. He still remembers the fear he felt when his foot had slid off the top stair causing him to tumble down breaking his leg in the process.

He could hide from it, blocking the view of the window but it wouldn't take away the sound and the pain that came with it. Now as a particularly loud clap of thunder chose to make itself present at that moment followed by lightning striking nearby causing the window to light up for a split second, he pressed himself into the wall more. He thought about how weird it was that the crack of lightning that turned them all into Shazam didn't have an effect on him but storms like these made him wish they could all live on some sunny vacation island. He tried his best to keep from making any sounds as he cried, although when the thunder decided to be extra loud he tried his hardest to stop the sound of fear he made. The storm seemed to be getting closer because it gradually got louder as the minutes ticked on. The louder it got the more Freddy wanted someone to be awake. It sounded sappy but he really wanted someone to be there to tell him it was going to be alright and it would be over soon.

Eventually he gave up on trying to be quiet. Who was going to hear him anyway? The storm was so loud and no one had woken up from that yet, had they? He heard the thunder go again and watched the window light up, showing the hail which had yet to give up and let his fear become a little more prominent.

Billy lie awake in bed. Obviously the Gods had something against him and sleep, he thought ironically. Every time he closed his eyes and thought he would finally be able to get some rest the same booming sound made itself present again and he would have to restart the process of trying to get to sleep. He sighed, this had been going on for almost an hour now and it was starting to get irritating. He had school tomorrow which meant he needed at least eight hours to function properly but at this point he probably wouldn't even get seven. Weren't teens his age supposed to get nine hours of sleep? He glared at the ceiling of the house acting as though he was glaring at the sky. He was in the process of mentally swearing at the sky when he heard the thunder rumbling and a small whimper come from underneath his bunk. Obviously it had to of been Freddy since no one else was in the room. At least he hoped there wasn't, just the thought of that gave him chills. He waited a minute, he didn't really hear anything over the sound of the hail until another roll of thunder sounded. Then he heard another quiet whimper. He slowly leaned over the side and looked at Freddy's bunk, upside down. Freddy was in the corner wrapped in his blanket, he looked at Bill with fear in his eyes although he was doing his best to shield it. Billy gave him a look of confusion. "Freddy, what's wrong?" Freddy hesitated, trying to even out his breathing before he answered.

"The storm's just pretty loud, that's all." Was his reply. Billy wasn't going to take that for an answer. He threw the blanket which lie on top of him off to the side and climbed down the ladder. He crawled onto Freddy's bed and sat next to him covering himself up with some of the blanket.

"Why were you crying?" He asked softly.

"What? What are you talking about? I wasn't."

"Well that's obvious." Billy stated sarcastically gesturing to Freddy's face where the tears which had run down his face only moments earlier were still glistening in the darkly lit room. "Look, It's stupid okay? Just forget it, I'm good, I'm great actually. So you can go back to bed if you want."

"Serious?"

"Uh yeah, I'm serious."

"No, I meant are you seriously gonna lie to me right now?" Freddy huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Billy, please just leave this alone. I-" The thunder sounded again and this time Freddy only tensed up, he didn't want to show Billy how afraid he really was. If Billy knew how scared he was of a stupid storm he'd most likely not let him fight crime anymore. With this thought in mind he relaxed as much as he could and gave Billy a small smile to reassure him he was fine. Only Billy didn't give in, he was giving Freddy That look. The look that meant 'I know your lying to me so there's no use in it'. Freddy knew that look well, Billy had to of given it to everyone in the house by now. It didn't last that long though because soon he wrapped his arms around Freddy's shoulders. "You know it's okay to be scared right?" He asked quietly. Freddy looked at him relieved for a moment before returning the hug. His eyes watered a little, he never wanted to show Billy how afraid he could really be times because he'd been worried Billy would think he was weak and not want to hang around him anymore. Obviously he was wrong as Billy didn't seem to think any less of him, in fact he'd told him it Was okay to be afraid.

The thunder took it's job to frighten Freddy very seriously and decided to give another loud crack above the house. Billy held him a little tighter and Freddy let the tears flow freely. Billy made him feel a whole lot safer but the memories were still there, and his mind got so caught up in them he barely even realized Billy was whispering to him.

"It's okay, it'll be okay. It's loud now, but it'll pass soon." Freddy let the words wash over him and allowed himself to relax. The exhaustion from crying finally started to catch up with him and he felt extremely tired, after all they still had school in the morning. He didn't want to fall asleep leaning on Billy like this because he wanted Billy to be able to go to bed and get sleep but then again, Billy has done a lot for him... He didn't think he'd mind. After all, they were brothers and he'd probably only be able to get to sleep with him there anyway. He tiredly looked up at Billy one more time before closing his eyes again and falling asleep quickly.

Billy knew Freddy had fallen asleep but he didn't move for half an hour after that. The storm was finally starting to move on now. Billy slowly and carefully lay himself and Freddy down on the bed against the pillows. He wasn't going to leave just in case Freddy woke up and needed him there. He started feeling tired sometime after that and allowed himself to drift off.

It was light out when Billy woke up. He laid in bed for a few moments remembering last night, which led him to realizing Freddy wasn't asleep or in bed anymore. He slowly sat up, groaning as he did. He hated getting up for school. He saw Freddy shuffling around the room quietly, getting their stuff ready for school.

"Hey. " He greeted tiredly.

"Hey."

"Storm finally let up." He commented as he looked out the window and yawned.

"Yep." Freddy was now shoving all their homework from last night into their backpacks without any care.

"So.. What exactly happened last night?"

"Oh. Um... I guess I just don't really like storms that much."

"Why? Is it because of the...thing?"

"No! No, definitely not. It's just from... stuff that happened a long time ago." Freddy answered a little too quickly not wanting Billy to get the wrong idea.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really wanna talk about it right now." Billy understood that, and he wasn't going to make Freddy tell him if he wasn't comfortable with it. He just shifted his gaze from Freddy to the window again. Which Freddy took the wrong way because right when that happened guilt consumed him. He gave Billy a sheepish look before turning his gaze to the floor and starting to ramble.

"Fine, um when I was like 5 my dad would get really mad and he would like throw things and hit stuff and sometimes he... Sometimes he hit me and it just made me scared of like storms and stuff because they're like really loud for no reason and it just reminds of him and-" He rambled on without looking up from the ground. Billy understood, he knew how terrifying it could be to be hurt by someone without knowing why. Especially since Freddy was so young when it happened he could understand why the unexpected sounds scared him. Which is why he stood up abruptly and gave Freddy a hug, stopping his rambling.

"Sorry." The boy said.

"What? You don't have to be sorry, its not your fault." He said which made Freddy stop to think for a moment.

"I guess... but hey I have a cool origin story." Billy smiled and shook his head at Freddy's attempt to lighten the mood. He pulled back and looked at the other boy.

"If you get scared again, tell me okay? I'm your brother that's what I'm here for." Freddy smiled and nodded before glancing at their backpacks.

"Okay. But we should probably get downstairs, I'm pretty sure we've only got like 5 minutes before breakfast."

Billy sighed. "Okay, fine. Come on." 


	8. Revealed

"Man that took forever! Like they really weren't gonna give up were they?"

"I don't even think they heard us honestly, they looked pissed off-"

"Billy! Darla is right here." Mary scolded.

"Okay okay. Sorry Darla, don't repeat that please."

"I won't, I promise."

"Okay, anyway they looked mad like they had been waiting for us to show up."

"I've noticed they all seem ready for us to foil their plans now."

"Yeah I know, we all show up and they're like 'we've been expecting you' and pull out the lasers which don't even hurt, you'd think they'd learn by now."

"You sound like you want to get hurt Freddy." Billy said laughing.

"No! That's not what I-"

"Hey, guys were here now, should we turn back?" Mary asked gesturing towards the house.

"Uh I guess."

"Shazam!" All of them said in sync signalling 6 lightning bolts to shoot out of the sky transforming them back. The only problem was that while they had been focused on the conversation they had they hadn't realized that Rosa and Victor had been watching through the window confused on why there were superheros right outside their house.

When they saw who it was now standing outside their jaws practically dropped and they sprinted downstairs and out the door to retrieve their children.

This talk that was happening right now, they had had it coming for a while.

When Darla and Eugene woke up from a nightmare every few nights it was pretty much inevitable. Billy even had nightmares about the battle, as did Freddy. The only difference was that they didn't get Rosa and Victor involved in them. Eugene and Darla did because they were small and needed an adult to comfort them which was understandable. It wasn't just them either though.

Mary would often sneak off during the night to patrol and when she got back the two older adults would be waiting and she would quickly make up the same lame excuse that she had went to a party which usually resulted in a lecture. Pedro would tell them inconsistent lies about where they all had gone if they went out. Freddy would just laugh nervously if they confronted him with anything related to it. Billy was a pretty good liar but they had this coming. It wasn't exactly supposed to happen like this but their parents were far from stupid and would've figure it out eventually.

Now all of his siblings looked to Billy for reassurance, even Pedro and Mary. It made him a little more stressed out than before knowing he would have to lead them in this but he didn't mind all that much. It meant they trusted him and that made him happier than anyone could ever know.

He looked up to their foster parents and watched Rosa pace back and forth throughout the room while Victor stood with his arms crossed in front of them.

"Were you planning on telling us anytime soon? Were you even going to tell us at all?!" Victor asked with a seemingly disappointed expression on his face. Billy wasn't effected by the disappointment and looked him in the eyes. He was used to it by now.

"We were going to tell, at some point. I just didn't think it was the right yet." He opted on saying. Victor didn't look amused with his answer and Rosa just glanced at him.

"Yeah," Freddy started, chuckling nervously a bit at the weight of Victor's glare.

"I mean it'd be a pretty weird conversation to bring up. 'Oh hey mom, dad, by the way were superheroes who've been kicking butt and fighting crime for the last 5 months.'" He tried to hold a smile under the two piercing glares of Rosa and Victor but found he couldn't and instead looked to the window. Billy was greatful Freddy had taken the attention off him but now he was still at loss for what to say next. He hadn't exactly thought this through yet. Darla fortunately, also decided buy him some time.

"Are you mad at us?" She asked innocently, but on the verge of tears. Mary brought her arm around the girl's shoulders comfortingly. It was very rare for Rosa and Victor to ever actually get disappointed with them but for that reason it always made it so much worse.

"No querido, we aren't mad. We are just shocked and wish you had told us this sooner." Rosa reassured in a calming voice, which allowed all of the Vasquez children to relax somewhat.

"I wanted to tell you guys! I swear I did, but Billy said no!" Eugene burst out suddenly. Billy felt a little betrayed by that statement but he knew it was true and there was no point in denying it. Pedro had his back though and gently nudged Eugene in his side with his elbow. Eugene only looked at him for a split second before realizing what he'd done.

"I mean it's not Billy's fault, he was trying to keep us all safe and I could have told you guys anyway." He corrected. Victor did seem a little amused now by their ability to stick up for each other but overall he still wasn't very happy.

"Were sorry. We should've told you guys sooner, and that's on All of us not just Billy, but we had good intentions by it." Mary told them glancing around to each of the others who nodded in agreement. Victor sighed and uncrossed his arms.

"Rosa and I need a few minutes to think things through, we'll be in the kitchen." Victor told them before striding out of the room. Rosa nodded and gave them another glance before following Victor. They both halted in the kitchen, allowing Victor to lean against the counter.

"Rosa what are we supposed to do?" He asked, running a hand across his face. It wasn't hard to see how stressed out they were at this moment, of course none of the kids were here in this moment.

"I'm...not sure. I mean I don't exactly like the idea of them going out every night and putting themselves in these dangerous situations, but you know if we try to stop them they'll just do it anyway."

"You're right, but we also can't just let them run wild throughout the city. We aren't able to protect them when they're out there."

"I know, I know..." Rosa bit her lip, thinking about what they could do.  
_

Billy sat in the long silence anxiously. The guilt was slowly starting to eat at him. They were going to kick him out, and not just him Freddy, Darla, Pedro, Mary, and Eugene too. He wouldn't have minded as much if it was only him, sure he would've been heartbroken, they were the only people who he had actually taken the time to get to know and enjoyed being around. He felt at home here, but he was disposable and if they couldn't handle him or they didn't want him that was their choice no matter what he said or did, but the fact that they were going to get rid of his siblings...and because of him. That tore him apart inside, he didn't want his siblings to suffer because of him. They had been fine before he showed up but of course he came and screwed up everything for them. They probably hated him now.

Freddy was different, sure he was anxiously waiting for Rosa and Victor to return too but he didn't carry as much weight on his shoulders as Billy did. He knew it wasn't just Billy's fault, it was all of theirs. Plus he also knew Rosa and Victor would never turn them away no matter what they did. This would be no different. Sure they were probably confused on what to do right now as most parents who found out their kids were superheroes were, but he knew it'd be fine. Eventually they'd learn to accept it and it would become apart of their life.

Darla being the sweet innocent girl she was, was already thinking of ways she could make it up to Rosa and Victor. Rosa had said they weren't mad but that didn't mean they weren't sad that their own kids hadn't trusted them enough to tell them. The truth was they did trust Rosa and Victor more than anyone else, but they had thought they would be protecting them by not telling them. On top of that, they knew with how much their foster parents cared for them they'd only be concerned about their safety and they'd most likely not let them out again. These were things Darla had definitely not thought of on her own but she'd understood then when they'd explained it to her, 'Safety first'. Although now she just wanted to see Rosa and Victor happy and not at a loss for what to do.

Eugene hated confrontation, it came from no one wanting him around and ignoring him constantly. Of course when Victor and Rosa had come along they had changed that. They showed him what it was like to be accepted and wanted around and he enjoyed it, he enjoyed the way they actually listened to him when he started rambling about the newest games the same way Freddy rambled on about superheroes. Even though he had a curfew on how long he could play the video games and had to be outside for at least an hour everyday he enjoyed living with them. So when Victor had given them the look that told them he was disappointed in them, Eugene had jumped at the chance to get him out of it. He didn't even realize he had sold Billy out until Pedro had elbowed him. It was true, he had told Billy numerous times that it would be better if they told their parents and Billy had said no and gave him valid excuses for each time but they were in this together. So obviously right now he was feeling Pretty guilty for not telling Rosa and Victor in the first place and for also blaming Billy.

Mary being the oldest out of the children, knew it was more logical not to side with anyone and to think about what both sides of the story were. She knew keeping an open mind about the situation would help resolve it quicker, though this one was a pretty big deal. Most parents don't have superheroes for kids, and find out six months later only because they had accidently transformed in front of them. It just wasn't normal and she could only imagine what was going through their parents minds but she also was more acquainted with their reasoning for Not telling them in the first place. She knew whatever the outcome was it couldn't be too bad, they had reasonings for doing what they did.

Pedro didn't mind all that much that they had been caught, he cared of course but he figured it might be for the better that Rosa and Victor knew. Although he had never argued with Billy when he had said not to tell them. It was a good idea, keeping them safe and from worrying but since they had found out by accident he didn't see how it was a big problem. He loved his foster family and if anything this would only bring them closer together in time. He was the silent observant type though and right now he knew it was tearing them apart individually from the inside. He could see how Billy was internally panicking, and how Darla and Eugene were both feeling guilty most likely for different reasons. Freddy was just anxious to see what the outcome was and Mary was trying to be the reasonable one in the situation and see both sides. It was funny to Pedro really, mostly because he had expected all of their reactions knowing them for a reasonable amount of time now. That said, he knew Rosa and Victor would work it out and none of them would be in any real trouble.

Rosa and Victor reentered the living shortly, both coming back with serious looks on their face. Though their stances let everyone know they were still shocked and unprepared. Everyone else prepared themselves for any punishment that could come.

"Okay, so obviously this is a big deal." Victor started with.

"And we're guessing there's most likely no way you can just quit. Even if we tell you to." Rosa added. All of them nodded.

"So... We decided, If you guys are to continue this then you need keep us updated on everything. And we mean Everything, I wanna know when you're leaving, what happened while you're out, and when you'll be back."

"Also I think it'd be a little more helpful to us if you guys could give us some insight how you got these powers in the first place."

"Oh, it's Billy's fault... I worded that wrong..." Freddy corrected himself.

"Okay apparently tonight is blame Billy night, but that's definitely not what I meant by it. Billy got the powers first by some crazy old wizard dude!"

"WHAT!?"

"Okay no, that's not what happened. I mean yes but no. I was on the subway and all I remember was it going super fast and then I ended up in some place called the Rock of Eternity-"

"Which is our super cool lair." Freddy added.

"Anyway, there was this guy there and he said he was a wizard and started telling me his whole life story and then made me hold his staff and say the magic word and yeah. Then I told Freddy, because I figured he'd be the one to know what to do."

"Yeah and then we found out he has all kinds of awesome powers!"

"But then a supervillian showed up and everyone else found out and the only way to stop him was by giving them powers so I did and basically we've been a team ever since." Billy finished with.

"Um what kind powers do you guys have?" Victor asked uncertaintly.

"Oh! Darla has superspeed, Pedro has superstrength, Eugene has electricity generation and manipulation, Mary has enhanced intellect, I got flight, and Billy has all of our powers but all of us are bulletproof and fireproof!" Freddy said in all of one breath.

"So... Your like superman?"

"Yeah exactly! Except he has laser eyes, and he's an alien, and he has a lot more experience, and he's an adult wait... What if he isn't? Anyway close enough."

"Okay Freddy calm down, I think we should probably give them a few seconds to process all of this."

"Right. sorry."

Rosa smiled at how excited Freddy was. Billy coming to live with them was one of the best decisions they had ever made because ever since he'd been around she'd noticed everyone had seemed a whole lot happier. Now she knew why. He had given then each something to focus on and be happy about, even if it was a little dangerous.

"Your not going to get rid of us right?" Billy asked quietly. Though everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"What? No of course not Billy. I promise you, nothing will make us ever even consider that." Rosa responded immediately noticing how much more relaxed he looked by her answer, though there was still tension.

"Like I told Darla were not mad, and even if we were we would never think to do that to any of you. We love you all too much for that." Victor nodded to Rosa's words and they all smiled. It was silent for a few moments after that until Freddy ruined it.

"So... Were off the hook?" He asked, completely ready to head on up to his room.

"Oh no, definitely not. Your all grounded."

"Saw that one coming." Eugene commented, sighing.


	9. April Fools

"Okay guys you know the plan right?"

"Yep"

"Okay, remember if Batman finds out, were all dead so be chill...actually now that I mention it the same applies for Robin."

"Okay Billy!"

"We know."

"Right okay uh come on."

It was April Fools day. One of the best days of the year in Freddy's opinion. So naturally they had already thought of how they were going to prank the team. Rosa and Victor had declared truce years ago so there were really no pranks in the house ever. Which is what led them to standing in the mountain with a bucket of paint, duck tape, seran wrap, a box of pop-its, and an air horn.

The set up had been simple too.

Their first victim was Conner. Eugene had politely asked him if he had a phone charger he could borrow and Conner unsuspectingly fell right into their trap. Freddy had kept his distance when recording but once he heard the splash of paint it was over and all of them had busted out laughing. Conner was the only one who wasn't laughing, of course, he just stood there confused. That lasted a bit before he realized what had happened, then his confusion quickly dissipated and he rolled his eyes at them as he went to grab a towel. They took the time to clean the paint up while he took a shower. Well that is, until they heard, "B07 Artemis"

Freddy grinned like a Cheshire cat. Mary had set up a camera right outside her bathroom so they could have her reaction to seran wrap on tape. Though It wasn't until Robin and Kid Flash had already showed up that they heard the irritated shout come from inside her bathroom. They could only make it so far before she came stomping out, bow drawn and raised.

"Alright. Who the hell did that?!" She yelled across the room, all the foster kids looked around the room acting as though they were innocent. They were saved from her accusing glare when Wally walked into the room taking another bite out of his already half eaten cupcake.

"Who did what?" He asked, mouth still full. Her gaze narrowed more if that was even possible.

"Wallace. You know what you did."

"No-wait, seriously what'd I do?" He backed up slowly, hands raised in the air as she approached him. The only answer he got was her reaching out to grab him, luckily for him he used his super speed to dodge and quickly got out of there. That didn't matter though, she chased him with her bow and threatened to shoot him.

"Um..."

"Oh shit..."

"Uh we should probably go.."

They made sure to keep out of Artemis' way for the rest of the day.

Robin was nowhere to be seen for several hours, in which they threw pop-its near Kaldur's feet whenever he was in the kitchen. He was genuinely concerned he was going crazy by the end of it until they started laughing uncontrollably. He only smiled at them and told them good job. He got a few strange looks at that one.

M'gann was easier to prank since she was, well, the most vulnerable. They had really debated over what they should do for her but in the end they had decided the best prank would be a cookie prank. Freddy and Billy mixed mashed potatoes and chocolate chips while Pedro, Darla and M'gann made real cookie dough. The switch was honestly pretty hard to tell until it came time to _eat_ the cookies. Eugene had put a timer on thankfully and Mary had volunteered to take the cookies out of the oven.

M'gann, poor innocent sweet M'gann. She was too kind to mention anything to them. With her nose scrunched up at the taste, she swallowed the flavorless cookie. Eugene had practically gagged when he saw her choke down the biscuit. She nodded kindly and gave a thumbs up, which made them feel even more bad.

"I'm so sorry Megan. I'll go get you a real cookie." Everyone looked at Billy shocked, no one had expected that. They had all assumed Darla would crack first. M'gann looked the most shocked, apparently thinking the cookies had actually turned out that bad.

After that fiasco, they only had one person left on the team to prank. Robin. This proved to be a difficult task. Since he had been apparently gone for a while now, they had time to get into his room and send Darla into the air vent with an air horn. The hard part was not leaving a trace and making sure Darla didn't make a single noise while she waited.

The plan seemed to be going smoothly, okay well as smoothly as possible. Until Robin actually came. They didn't even realize he was coming until he had already opened the door to his room. Darla recovered from her shock first and pressed the button to the air horn, letting the sound travel throughout the vents before stopping.

"Ah so scary guys." Robin's sarcastic tone filled the room making everyone release the breath they had been holding.

"You knew we were here?"

"It was kinda obvious, you already pranked everyone else." He gave them a look of disinterest and continued, "Anyway, could you please go out? I kinda just wanna be alone right now."

"Wait, but-"

"Look if you wanna prank someone else, Superman is in the training room." He informed them closing the door.

"What's wrong with Robin?" Darla asked not so quietly once the door was closed.

"Uh I don't know but I think we still have the paint left over to use on Superman."

"This is going to be epic!"

~Three Hours Later~

"Guys this is gonna be the best movie you've ever seen." Freddy announced holding a USB drive up containing all of the camera's contents.

"Just hurry up and put the USB in."

"Feast your eyes upon this." Once the USB was inserted the laptop lit up showing the amazing scenery of a tile floor.

_"Oh my God that was awesome!"_

_"I can't believe we got it all on camera!"_

_"We so have to do this again next year."_

_"Yeah-"_

Freddy closed the laptop with a stunned expression. Mary, Pedro, and Eugene's mouths were hanging open, Darla ran up to give him one of her bone-crushing hugs, and Billy just put his hand on his shoulder. "Better luck next time?"

"How-I mean Why-But I-" Freddy stuttered.

"Sorry Freddy."

"Yeah, sorry man that sucks." With that, they all filed out of the room leaving him to figure out what the hell had just happened.

~Two Days Later~

A knock on the door came as a surprise to Freddy, as far as he knew no one was planning on stopping by. Either way he grabbed his crutch and shouted "I got it!" before making his way over to the door. Of course he was too short to peek out the peephole so instead he just carelessly threw the door open.

When he saw who it was his eyes went wide. "Woah what-what are you doing here?" He asked looking around to make sure no one was watching. Robin stood on the other side of the door, dressed in his civilian outfit with his usual sunglasses. Pulling a small object out of his pocket, he outstretched his hand to hand it to Freddy.

"Look, I was being a total jerk the other day and I feel really bad for it and I heard your cameras weren't working. So I may have pulled a few strings and got the security footage from the cave." Looking down Freddy saw he was holding a USB drive. Without caring to ask how he knew the cameras hadn't been working he tentatively took it from Robin's grasp.

"It should have all your pranks on it, I made sure to skip through the rest of the day." He gave a small smile before turning around and heading off.

"Thanks!" Freddy called after, only to get a wave of his hand in response. He looked at the USB drive again and grinned before shutting the door. It really payed off to be friends with heroes.


	10. I See The Light

Disney World was great, supposedly. Billy had never been but from the way Rosa and Victor talked about it, it actually seemed like it would be kind of fun. Except for the fact that there was going to be a huge crowd and Billy didn't do 'crowds'. He hated them, it wasn't exactly a secret. The way his breathing sped up when a large group passed by him and he momentarily forgot where he was. Which is why Rosa had pulled him aside before they revealed to everyone the surprise and asked him if he was okay with going. He'd said yes of course, he wasn't going to ruin everyone else's fun because of his own issues.

The joy on all of his siblings faces when they'd found out had made him so sure he'd made the right choice. He hadn't regretted it when Freddy complained the whole week of school before the trip. Nor when he slipped a few tens into each of his siblings bags so they'd have just a bit more money for souvenirs. Nor when the plane ride deemed way to stressful for his liking. Nor when they landed and had to check into their hotel and unpack before even thinking about stepping foot into the land of wonders.

Now though, he wasn't sure. The long process of making it into Disney World was over but the place was so crowded. So _so_ crowded. He took one look at the place and wanted to go home, sit on the couch and have movie night with the rest of them. Though it was too late for that now. Everyone was so memorized by the colors and sounds there was no way he'd even bring up the topic of going home.

He told himself it'd be okay. He just needed to stay within sight of them at all times, just like the rules Victor had set for them all. He did just that too. By holding onto one of their hands the entire time and trying to not feel trapped within the sea of people.

The first ride they went on was Jungle Cruise. Billy personally hadn't found it as entertaining as the others but that was probably because he wasn't accustomed to how the rides worked. He'd never been to any amusement park before and Disney World might not have been the best way to start.

Then again he _hadn't_ been to any kind of amusement park before so what did he know?

They met a few costumed Disney characters along the way, most of which Billy had no clue what their names were or what movie they were from. At one point while they were walking they had a seen a large yellow dog in a green collar walking around and Bill had pointed at it and said "Hey it's Clifford!" All of them had been silent for that one, until Darla had unintentionally laughed and pointed out it was _Pluto, silly._

The next ride they went on was Pirates of the Caribbean. That had gotten him to laugh a bit and momentarily forget the tremendous amount of people waiting to swarm around them like bugs outside. He'd never seen the movie to the ride but it was enough, and he'd already been promised by Pedro and Freddy that as soon as they were home he'd be caught up with every movie.

_"What do you mean you've never seen Pirates of the Caribbean?" Freddy said looking at him as if he was the Joker._

_"I've never seen it."_

_"How is that even possible?"_

_"I don't really take time to watch movies I guess?" Billy's face flushed and he looked down at his feet, suddenly memorized by the patterns on his tennis shoes._

_"But Pirates of the Caribbean is a classic!" Freddy threw his hands up as to enunciate his point more. A few people next to them turned their heads towards them at the outburst._

_"Well, I guess? I mean I've heard of it before but-" He was soon cut off by Pedro turning towards them with a curious face._

_"Billy's never seen Pirates of the Caribbean?"_

_"Apparently not!"_

_"How? It's a classic. He doesn't know what he's missing out on." Pedro replied looking exclusively at Freddy._

_"That's what I said!"_

_"Um hello? Still right here." Billy gave a little awkward wave. The two turned their attention back towards him and gave him a flat look._

_"Were watching all of them when we get home I hope you know that." Freddy told him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised._

_"Dully noted."_

And that had been the end of that conversation.

They did a few more smaller things after that but that was really all until lunch. It's not that Billy hadn't believed that the lines were long, he just hadn't realized _how_ long they were until they were standing in them for a solid hour with the sound of everyone talking all at once coming at his ear, while he tried to listen to Darla's inconsistent rambling.

It was hell, he decided after a while. Sure it was fun while they were on the rides or buying souvenirs or eating ice cream cones, but after only the third hour he was ready to pack up and go home. He still smiled and acted as though he wasn't panicking over having to fish his way through the horde of people but it was tiring and he really wanted to sit down somewhere and take deep breaths until he felt he could actually breath again but he knew that wasn't gonna happen anytime soon, so instead he settled on making sure the others were having a good time.

He knew Eugene was by the look on the boy's face the second they had entered through the gates, the joyful grin hadn't left his face once the entire time, and Darla was the same with her grin never faltering even while waiting in the treacherous lines.

Mary seemed to be having a good time as well, taking group pictures every once in a while and buying anything that'd last while making the most of everything. She hadn't seemed to mind the lines all that much as she'd been texting her new boyfriend practically the entire time but she hadn't exactly been as thrilled as Darla and Eugene were, which he guessed made sense as she was more mature and probably was thinking on the more adult side of things such as how much this trip was costing and such.

Freddy was a child here, acting similar to Darla and Eugene with the perpetual rambling about all things Disney and the never ending joy of the sight of everything. Billy could see through all of it though and also noticed the wince that would appear every once in a while when he put pressure on his bad leg. It shouldn't have come as a surprise as all they had really done the whole day was walk around which he had trouble with in the first place. It didn't seem to bother him too much though to the point where he wasn't enjoying the trip as much as he should.

Billy was honestly surprised by Pedro though when he saw him actually smiling and speaking to him. Sure, they'd talked, they lived together there was no way they couldn't have but usually he'd only be able to exchange a few words with him unless in his 'other' form. Billy had a feeling it had to do with his inability to have confidence in himself because of the bullies that were always lurking around their school but it felt nice to have him talk about something he seemed passionate about. It felt as though they'd unlocked some secret chamber in their relationship and Billy couldn't be more grateful for that.

Rosa and Victor were no doubt having the time of their lives with everyone. Sure even from just taking a glance at them Billy could see they were stressed no matter how hard they tried to mask it, courtesy of having lived in several different foster homes with families who were always anxious. But it didn't seem to weigh them down during the trip. They were just as excited as any of them.

As they approached the next character which just so happened to be Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, Billy couldn't help but feel ungrateful. Of course he appreciated the time and effort Rosa and Victor had put into it but he wasn't enjoying it as much as he should've been. He'd only seen like five Disney movies in his whole life and that consisted of Aladdin, Lilo and Stitch, 101 Dalmatians, Robin Hood, and The Lion king which were all watched with Rosa, Victor, Darla, Freddy, Pedro, Eugene, and Mary.

It wasn't that he didn't like Disney movies, because in all honesty he really enjoyed them, but he'd always imagined watching them with his mom and it hurt that he would never get that chance. But after everything that had happened with the Vasquez's he found himself feeling more comfortable watching the movies with them. At least they wouldn't be associated with bad memories.

They met a few other characters he didn't know, took more pictures, rode more rides and by the time the sun was down they were all exhausted. The lines hadn't really gotten shorter at all so by that time they'd given up on all the rides and opted to just doing whatever other activities they came across. By the time everyone ready to head back to their hotel, Rosa and Victor had one last surprise apparently, and had dragged them back into the never ending void of amusement.

They spent some time just walking past everything they'd already seen and done before they made it to the crowd of people standing in front of the large castle. At first none of them knew what to expect, there were hundreds of others waiting among them for...something but none of them had a clue as to what. A few minutes later Billy looked past the others to where Freddy was with Victor at his side, arm around his shoulder. A moment later he whispered something to Freddy who nodded tiredly before his face lit up with a smile and he practically bounced with anticipation.

Billy allowed a small smile to adorn his face as well before light struck the sky and crackling could be heard. It caused him to let out a small gasp in response while Eugene and Darla jumped in surprise. All of a sudden the huge castle in front of them changed colors and music started up.

All kinds of animated characters lit up the castle along with different sounds from all kinds of movies. Watching it was endearing for Billy even though for the most part he didn't recognize any of the characters. Everyone else seemed to though with their ooh's and ah's of amusement. He did however let out a small chuckle from excitement when Genie from Aladdin appeared.

The fireworks never stopped throughout the show nor did the enjoyment on everyone's faces, including Billy's. He suddenly didn't mind one bit that everything there was foreign to him. He had his family with him and that's what Disney is all about right? Spending time with those you love most? Well, he was doing just that.

Song lyrics rang out into the night as he leaned into Rosa's side, watching the fireworks light up the sky in an array of colors.

"All those days chasing down a daydream,

All those years living in a blur,

All that time never truly seeing things the way they were"

He didn't choose for his life to end up the way it did, but he couldn't be more grateful it did.


End file.
